Chapter 12

Aurora finally made it back to her place and could not forget about the whole incident that had happened.

She got into bed and her feet ached from all the hours of attending to Caspian and Nadia, the music she had heard and the food she got to taste was all worth it.

Even though she had only tasted a fraction of it, she wanted to recall all of it but she was way too tired.

Aurora was glad that she could sleep in as she was told to come in the afternoon in time for tea. Prince Caspian was sleeping in so she would clean then.

When she got to the palace the next morning during lunch, the servant's quarters were booming with chatters about what had happened last.

She went and got her meal, as she passed by the tables she could hear that she was now the center of attention.

Before she could sit down her friends were already bombarding her with so many questions,

"So you serve the Prince?" said Agnes.

"Apollo was a prince after all." Said Evelyn.

"I only found out last night at the same time as you all."

Everyone was surprised by her words, "You mean you didn't know you were serving the prince?" Ella remarked.

"No, I have never seen nor heard of him so how would I know Madam Beatrice didn't tell me any of this."

"So you are telling me that you have a chance to sleep with the prince," Ida whispered.

Their eyes all widened,

"I won't!"

"Are you okay Aurora, quite a cruel joke they played on you last night? With the dagger and all." Barbara asked.

"Yes, that was barbaric behavior." Agnes chimed in.

"I was very startled, but of course, I had to get it together."

"I would have been shaken too," Evelyn added.

"Did you all see princess Nadia?" Lucy asked with such gleam in her eyes.

"She is the fairest in the land."

"You took the words out of my mouth Aurora, I have never seen someone so beautiful and poised."

"Even Caspian was so smitten with her," Ella added.

"He seemed to be bewitched with her but what man wouldn't?" Ida added.

"With what you said about Caspian he sure is notorious," Evelyn whispered.

Aurora also lowered her voice, "Very much so, but he is the prince so he is allowed to have many women regardless."

"Bunch of bollocks! Why can the man do that? And if a woman as so much as spare a man a glance they are severely punished or called a whore." Agnes spat out the words.

"Certainly is unfair, how is the lady the only one that gets punished when it's both parties involved?" Barbara asked.

"The woman entices," Ella replied angrily.

Aurora also didn't agree with only condemning the woman when it came to affairs on the grounds that the woman is the one that entices.

In Caspian's case, he was the one that enticed but in his case, it was okay as he is a man and they are allowed to have affairs as it is often said it is the woman's fault that they can't please their husband.

Which was complete rubbish as all this did was excuse the man and put the blame on the woman only, they finished their lunch and she made her way to Caspian's chambers.

When she got there the door was open and he was nowhere in sight, she started to clean. She made his bed so that she could see a bit of the floor.

It was a huge mess, way worse than what she normally came into. After the bed was done she started to tackle the clothes.

Aurora bowed her head when she saw Caspian entering,

"Afternoon My Lord."

"You may carry on." Caspian dismissed her as he seemed to have just bathed and was changed into a fresh set of clothes.

He seemed to be tired, he reclined on his bed. Aurora carried on picking up his stuff and tried to not mind that he was there.

She was a bit more on edge as she had found out that he is a prince.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Caspian asked.

Aurora didn't know why he seemed to be annoyed with her? What had she done?

"Sorry My Lord, I am focused on cleaning."

"Why are you trembling?" Caspian replied.

Aurora looked down at her hands and this was the first time that she had noticed that her hands were shaking.

"Must be the weather, My Lord."

Caspian nodded, she presumed her cleaning,

"What did you think of the banquet?"

When Aurora wanted to stop cleaning and respond to him he cut her off,

"You may carry on cleaning whilst you tell me."

Aurora nodded, "It was lovely My Lord."

"What did you think of princess Nadia?"

"She is the fairest in the land My Lord, her beauty, grace, and intelligence knows no bounds."

Caspian had woken up with a splitting headache in the afternoon, a bath would do him well. After getting dressed he contemplated if he wanted food but he was not in the mood for it.

He just wanted to lay down again, when he got back to the room he found Aurora cleaning and he had forgotten that she had to clean.

She was so small yet strong and thorough,

"Afternoon, My Lord." She had greeted him so simply and he quickly dismissed her.

He reclined on the bed and watched her move around the room. He wanted to hear her speak,

"What did you think of the banquet?"

When Aurora wanted to stop cleaning and respond to him he cut her off,

"You may carry on cleaning whilst you tell me."

Aurora nodded, "It was lovely My Lord."

"What did you think of princess Nadia?"

"She is the fairest in the land My Lord, her beauty, grace, and intelligence knows no bounds."

He was surprised at the way she was very honest with her answer, there were no ill intentions or fakeness but her answer was straightforward.

This girl really didn't care if he was looking at other women after he had pursued her.

"What do you think about me and her together?"

Caspian studied her face and there was no animosity or anything and she was genuinely being honest,

"You two would bring harmony to the land, with you My Lord next to her, it would be a union that is destined by the heavens."

Caspian nodded, she really did not care for him in any way. That is why at the banquet she did not make any voluntary gestures to get his attention.

Most of his previous maids would try to trip or spill the drink so that he would notice them but she did everything up until the dagger incident.

"Are you okay from last night? You seemed to be a bit shaken after the dagger missed your head."

"I am well My Lord, I was just not expecting it that's all."

She didn't tell him the full truth, every time Aurora spoke there would be layered to her words, he was only scraping the surface and he knew this.

She gave honest answers but most about herself were very hidden and generic. But why should that matter to him?

He was not trying to get her to the isle but to his bed,

"What of me and you?"

That now really caught her off guard. She was taken aback.